Memories of India

I have been to Memories of India many times over the years. It is not exactly a local for me, but a great treat after a walk around nearby Osterley Park. I have never been disappointed.
I am actually very surprised by the last reviewer’s disappointing experience as this is so far removed from mine. Mind you, I have never come here in a big group but always with just a couple of people. On my last visit a couple of weeks ago there were only two small tables with a couple each and three rather large parties. Staff seemed to be coping well; the only wait was for the credit card machine which had broken down.
I actually like the fact that you are greeted with popadoms and don’t mind the £1 charge which is clearly stated on the menu.
There are also not many Indian restaurants left which use hot plates to keep your food warm — a nice touch.
Everything else is somewhere between traditional and modern; the décor is a combination of old Indian doors and modern prints. They play pop music rather than piped Bollywood tunes — we once asked for more traditional Indian music and the staff were obliging if somewhat surprised.
The food menu contains a good combination of well-​known favourites and some unusual sounding dishes. So far everything I tasted was lovely and fresh and not too greasy.

This restaurant is unfortunately over-​rated. It’s difficult to write a balanced review because so much of the experience was abysmal! There was nothing positive apart from maybe the décor was pleasant.
Overall they have tried to set the bar high in their prices and ambitions and have not met the reasonable expectations that come with it. I felt thoroughly ripped off and let down.
— We were not given menus straight away and left waiting for a long time
— We placed our orders before the tables near us and they received their food at least 20 minutes before us.
— There was a 45 minute wait between the starter and mains
— Watch out for the extremely cheeky £1 per person charge to sit in the restaurant — you have to pay 10% service charge on top of this for 6 people or above — which is crazy as you can end up spending a significant percentage of the bill on combined service charge and this silly £1 per person sitting charge! For this reason alone I would avoid this place. It was also confusing because they said it was for the poppadoms, 5 poppadoms for £6 for 6 people is extortionate. You do not see what you’re paying for in the service charge in the service at all.
— The food was not worth the wait — it was bland of spice and chilli (e.g paneer tikka, fish curry etc)
— They run on short staff and had terrible system of all the waiters attending to you so a) no one knows what is going on, b) there’s no consistency, c) you get left because the other assumes you’re being taken care off
— Neighbouring tables most certainly had preferential treatment, we were continuously ignored and dismissed
— The male staff generally in their demeanour were not civil, and close to hostile when we were ordering, making requests for more food or drink and when clarifying the bill.
— The manager was very very unprofessional in managing our complaint, not listening to our view point and was overly defensive.
All of the negative things we experienced aren’t unusual things to encounter in a busy restaurant (e.g. waiting, bland food etc) would have been easily overcome by staff that were not rude and who listened to what we were saying and responded to what we were saying in a civil manner. They way the restaurant is priced and sells itself is not compatible with it’s level of service and quality of food. I would recommend southall anyday — you can get no frills treatment that is at least civil and authentic good food, or pay extra for good service and good food and be more certain you’ll get it!

This has a big reputation. Personal experience is that it’s OK foodwise, not special. Good décor and a pleasant ambience.
On street parking is by payment during normal business hours, plenty of spaces available though.

I live literally 2 minutes away from here so have been many times. Tend to go for the Sunday buffet. Really tasty food with a good selection. They have about 3 meat dishes, 3 veggie dishes (great for me as a vegetarian!), different rices, poppodums, bhajis and rice pudding/​strawberries for after. Self service so you can eat as much as you like.
They also do private birthday parties — hired it out for a birthday a few years ago and was very well done. Everyone was very happy with the food.
Quite nice as it’s pretty small and intimate.
However, it has got a bit pricier lately, and they always put up prices for occasions such as mother’s day so I don’t really go much any more — was much better value in the past.

Until six months ago i was not a big fan of indian food… i have to confess but this restaurant has converted me! an amazingly extensive menu memories is a large restaurant that serves anything you can think of, i personally recommend the salmon and lamb chop starters with the chicken tikka a close second. A large restaurant, with an outside area for warmer days. The restaurant often hosts small birthday meals and brings out a cake and plays ‘Happy Birthday to ya’ all done tastefully and light heartedly!